Overweight and under-nourished - our healthcare crisis

It’s no secret that our healthcare is in crisis. We are overweight, stressed out, sick and tired. Each day, more people are diagnosed with life threatening diseases. Families struggle physically and financially to take care of ailing loved ones.

Meanwhile, medical costs continue to rise as well as our insurance premiums. Currently medical debt is responsible for an estimated half of all bankruptcies.

It’s an embarrassing fact that, despite our country’s considerable wealth and medical achievements, we rank 37th world wide in the quality of care we provide. While our system of medicine is highly sophisticated at diagnosing and treating diseases, it places little emphasis on preventing disease or in promoting long-term wellness.

Instead of the relatively low costs associated with protecting and maintaining health – with the use of nutritional supplements and weight-management programs, for instant – most of our wellness budget is spent trying to keep patients alive with operations and expensive medication only after they’ve become critically ill.


THE HIGH COST OF NEGLECT

Take cardiovascular disease. In 2005, the cost of treating heart disease and strokes in the United States was an estimated $394 billion. Similarly, the cost of treating high blood pressure in 2007 has been estimated at $66.4 billion.

As for diabetes, if you develop the disease, you can expect your healthcare costs to increase threefold. Yet each of these conditions can be prevented through healthy dietary choices and weight management.

While some might take comfort in knowing they have medical coverage should they become seriously ill, the cost of protecting their health and that of their family with health insurance is increasing all the time.

A new study by Towers Perrin, a human resources consulting company, predicts health coverage in 2008 will increase to $9,312 per person, including an average 8 percent rise in employee health contributions. And unfortunately, even the best health coverage cannot protect you from becoming sick and overweight in the first place.


OBESITY

According to John Hopkins University researchers, rates of obesity....Clck here for the rest of healthcare story

The good news is that many of our most serious issues, from heart disease to type 2 diabetes, are preventable. Numerous studies show that reducing excess weight and improving your diet and nutrient intake can significantly lower your risk factors for diseases.

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